


Missing

by awakened_treepanda



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Because of Reasons, Crack Treated Seriously, English Version Style, Love Across The Universe: Dangan Salmon Team, No Spoilers, or no major spoilers anyway, why? figure it out, writing the first half of this drove me mad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 07:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18846478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awakened_treepanda/pseuds/awakened_treepanda
Summary: Shuuichi was having a good day.Though said boy and a good amount of quirky individuals all stay stuck within a ‘dating simulator’ of sorts run by a manic robot animal, Shuuichi has to admit that this prison school was fairly tranquil as of—“S—Shuuichi!”So much for tranquility.In which Kokichi steals something very, very important.





	Missing

**Author's Note:**

> I was supposed to post this on April Fools. That's all you need to know. Keep reading till the end.  
> ~Panda

Shuuichi was having a good day.

  


Though said boy and a good amount of quirky individuals all stay stuck within a ‘dating simulator’ of sorts run by a manic robot animal, Shuuichi has to admit that this prison school was fairly tranquil as of—

  


“S—Shuuichi!”

  


_So much for tranquility._

  


In alarm, Shuuichi scans his surroundings and spots a familiar magician run up to him.

  


“T—This is bad!” Himiko says, frightful. “I think a crook took my hat!”

  


_Huh?_

  


“I—What?”

  


“I _said_ ,” Himiko frowns, “a crook took my hat! Won’t you aid a magician in locating this lost artifact?”

  


Shuuichi looks at droopy brown orbs with mild confusion, not grasping why such an outlandish task was abruptly flung his way. Though in hindsight, asking him in particular was a logical option, as his skills would assist with this typical sort of difficulty, fitting for a—

  


Himiko grabs his arm, disrupting his thoughts. “C’mon, Shuuichi! Isn’t finding lost stuff your thing? So find my lost thing!”

  


_…?_

  


“Alright, alright.” Shuuichi stands up, abandoning a comfy spot of courtyard grass in favor of satisfying a magician’s wish. “You and I should probably ask around first. It’s a possibility that your hat was found by a third party.”

  


Himiko nods, approving, and motions for him to pick a path to follow. Shuuichi thinks for a bit, looks at his monopad, and starts walking, ignoring a tiny part of his brain informing him of a thought now lost.

  


* * *

  


“Good day, Shuuichi and Himiko. Do you wish for my aid in any way?” Kirumi dutifully asks as skillful hands scrub at bowls and cups with abnormal rapidity. Dining hall occupant Ryoma turns towards his arriving company from his chair and grunts a lax, “Yo.”

  


“Ah, I was just curious if you or Ryoma saw Himiko’s hat.” Shuuichi points towards vacant ruby hair. “It got lost.”

  


“No, a crook took it!” Himiko contradicts with a pout.

  


“I’m afraid I did not find it,” Kirumi halts washing, taking a spot to Ryoma’s right, “but I am in a similar situation.”

  


“You too, huh,” Ryoma sighs.

  


Shuuichi blinks in shock. “Both of you also lost your things?”

  


“Yup.” A small hand holds a short, cylindrical stick. “Lost a pack of cigs.”

  


“And I lost a pair of clothing.” Kirumi lifts up blank palms.

  


Shuuichi hums thoughtfully, frowning at a stray notion.

  


_Why didn’t Kirumi just say—_

  


“Look, Shuuichi! I told you it was a crook!” Himiko shouts in triumph and grabs his hand. Shuuichi blurts out a quick thanks to his companions as a magician drags him away.

  


“This is ridiculous,” Ryoma murmurs.

  


* * *

  


“Do you think that crook took stuff from all of us?” Himiko asks.

  


“No,” Shuuichi says instantly, walking without doubt along a hallway, “as I didn’t fall victim to any form of taking. But you and I should confirm if only you, Kirumi, and Ryoma lost things.”

  


“Probably,” Himiko huffs. “What a pain.”

  


“Now, now. It’s all for your hat.”

  


Shuuichi walks out of tall doors, a magician following suit, to a courtyard that wasn’t so void of humans. A pair of sharp, mustard orbs display worry and confusion that would normally stay in hiding within a dark mask. Himiko quickly spots his anxious form and calls for him without qualm.

  


“Oh, Kiyo, I just wanna ask if you saw— Uh, you okay?”

  


An anthropologist snaps out of his solicitous thoughts. “I...This may sound unusual, but was I always just ‘Kiyo’ to you?” 

  


“Um, what?”

  


“I fail to grasp why,” Kiyo starts, “but it sounds...lacking.”

  


_Lacking?_

  


“I dunno with you, but Kiyo sounds about right.” Himiko shrugs. “Anyway, did you spot my hat?”

  


“No, though if it is of any worth, I lost my armband.”

  


“Thanks. Now if you don’t mind, Shuuichi and I will just—”

  


“Oh, Shuuichi and Himiko!”

  


A bulky form’s shadow looms in front of Shuuichi.

  


Gonta grins in joy. “And Kiyo too! This good timing.”

  


“Gonta? What’s wrong?” Shuuichi asks, though his mind had a hunch that this chain of occasions was no fortuity.

  


“Um…” Crimson orbs glint doubtfully. “Gonta knows this odd, but Gonta thinks that our group not full.”

  


“Huh? That’s dumb. I can’t think of anybody who’s missing from our group,” Himiko points out, dubious.

  


“I think so too,” Kiyo adds. “I would know if any girl was not in our midst.”

  


Gonta turns bashful. “You probably right. Gonta probably just imagining it. Gonta will go back to looking for pin now…”

  


“Ah, Gonta, wait! You lost your pin?” Shuuichi confirms his suspicions upon noticing a vacant brown collar.

  


“Yup, so Gonta will go find it now!” Wild basil hair quickly absconds from sight. Kiyo also runs off, withdrawing to his room. Now on his own, Shuuichi turns to his last companion, smiling.

  


“It looks as though our crook took things from a lot of us, huh?”

  


Himiko smirks. “That’s right, so you and I should catch him and snatch our stuff back!” 

  


As a magician walks onward, calling for him to hurry up, Shuuichi couldn’t stop thinking about Kiyo’s and Gonta’s fatuous words.

  


_What was up with Kiyo? And what was Gonta trying to say?_

  


_What’s going on?_

  


* * *

  


“Shuuichi! Himiko!” A shrill cry halts a pair of moving forms. Frail hands rush in and latch onto Shuuichi’s arms, startling him. 

  


Tsumugi looks at him with anticipation. “I, um, ask for your— your aid!”

  


Shuuichi blinks but nods. “Alright…? What is it?”

  


“I—I can’t say,” Tsumugi’s brows furrow, “ _that!_ ”

  


_That…?_

  


“You might wanna...clarify,” Himiko butts in, suspicious.

  


“I would if I could, but…” Cyan orbs narrow in frustration. “I just can’t say _it_!”

  


“So drop it.”

  


A trio of individuals turn to Rantarou, who was lying down on a patch of grass.

  


Tsumugi squirms. “B—But…”

  


“You should just drop it,” Rantarou says again, placid. “Shuuichi and Himiko can’t do anything about it, anyway.”

  


_…!_

  


“You...sound as though you know what Tsumugi’s talking about.” Shuuichi words his thoughts out slowly, noticing Rantarou’s hints.

  


“I might,” A lanky body shrugs, “but that’s not important. You ought to approach our culprit though, if you wanna fix this.”

  


Himiko frowns. “Fix what? I don’t—”

  


“That guy probably took your hat too.”

  


Himiko promptly drags Shuuichi away to find _him._

  


* * *

  


In hindsight, it was obvious.

  


Shuuichi sighs at his slow insight. Himiko groans with irritation.

  


“Greetings, my beloved Shuuichi! What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?” Kokichi asks with a blinding grin, adding a flat, “Oh, Himiko. Didn’t see you there.”

  


“Why you—” Himiko huffs indignantly, only for Shuuichi to walk forward.

  


“Did you snatch Himiko’s hat?” His inquiry did not allow any room for lying antics.

  


Kokichi looks at robust gold and bristling brown— 

  


And laughs.

  


“Pffft— Ahahahaha! This is hilarious!” Thin arms hold his stomach as Kokichi gasps for air.

  


“Wha—What’s so funny?” Shuuichi asks.

  


Kokichi calms down from his outburst. “Ah, it’s nothing. You wouldn’t get it right now anyway, so it’s not worth explaining.”

  


_What is it that’s not worth—_

  


“I dunno what you’re talking about, Shuuichi,” A cunning smirk forms on his lips, “since _I_ already returned what I stole.”

  


_Huh?_

  


“W—What do you mean?” the detective prods, growing more confused by the second.

  


“You’ll figure it out eventually.” Is his cryptic response before changing the subject. “But you claim that Himiko lost her hat?”

  


“It got stolen! By you!” The magician points her finger at him accusingly. “You probably took everyone else’s stuff too!”

  


Kokichi gasps, placing his hands over his chest in fake hurt. “Me? Stealing everyone’s precious things? I swear on my checkered bandana that I would never.”

  


_That’s clearly a lie._

  


By the scoff that escapes Himiko, Shuuichi thinks that she agrees.

  


“Fine then! I guess I’ll just have to help you guys find them to prove my innocence!” The liar hops off the courtyard bench with enthusiasm and starts sauntering off.

  


“Wait, what?”

  


“Hurry up, you two! I don’t have all day!” Kokichi shouts from afar, leaving the perplexed duo no choice but to catch up with him.

  


* * *

  


On their way to their next destination, a pair of voices catches Shuuichi’s attention.

  


“Are you sure you weren’t imagining it, Maki Roll? Everything seemed fine to me.”

  


“Positive. You were just too much of an idiot to notice.”

  


“H—Hey!”

  


The bickering figures of Kaito and Maki quickly come to view. The astronaut was sitting on the end of the staircase leading towards the Shrine of Judgment, appearing offended, while Maki stood in front of him with arms crossed, pouting.

  


“Oh, it’s just the idiot and the assassin,” Kokichi comments from Shuuichi’s side.

  


“I wonder if they lost something too,” Himiko wonders out loud as they approach the pair.

  


Maki was the first to notice them. She gives a sharp glare to the Supreme Leader before nodding towards the detective and magician. Kaito follows her gaze and beams. “Hey, Shuuichi! Himiko! What’re you guys doing with this little twerp?”

  


Kokichi scoffs and opens his mouth to retort, but Shuuichi speaks over him. “Ah, we’re looking for Himiko’s hat.”

  


“Because a thief took it! They took stuff from the others too!” The magician frowns. “Oh yeah, did you guys lose something too?”

  


“I lost a scrunchie,” Maki says in contrast with Kaito’s, “No, I don’t think so.”

  


_Now that she mentions it, one of her twintails is being held up by a black hair tie_ , Shuuichi notes.

  


The assassin snorts. “The buttons on your jacket aren’t there, dumbass.”

  


The astronaut inspects the article for confirmation. “Oh, crap, you’re right! When the hell did that happen?”

  


“Beats me.” Maki shrugs. “Honestly, pay more attention. Then you would’ve noticed that something was off earlier.”

  


_That_ draws a detective’s attention. “You felt it too, Maki?”

  


She nods. “I’m not sure how to describe it, but somehow, everyone just sounded...odd. Like they were unconsciously avoiding saying certain words. Everything seems to be back to normal now, though.”

  


Kaito and Himiko regard her with plain confusion, but Shuuichi takes her statement into careful consideration. He remembers being puzzled by the way some people expressed themselves, like how Himiko referred to the thief as a ‘crook’ and Kirumi indirectly saying that she lost her gloves, but he stopped experiencing those instances after encountering Kokichi.

  


_He did say that he stole something, but already returned it...What_ was _he referring to?_

  


* * *

  


After their conversation with Maki and Kaito, the trio make their way to the Shrine of Judgment, expecting to see other Ultimates that could hold precious clues to solving the case of the missing items.

  


What they didn’t expect to see was—

  


“Ah! My hat!”

  


—the missing items themselves.

  


Shuuichi closes the towering doors as Himiko rushes to retrieve her lost artifact, returning the object to its rightful place atop her head. To the side, Kokichi picks up a discarded pair of gloves and a red scrunchie. His expression morphs into realization.

  


“Oh,” he says. “I did steal these.”

  


_Eh?_

  


“So..you _were_ lying earlier?” the detective asks, nonplussed.

  


“Of course not! I’ve been telling the truth this whole time.” The Supreme Leader raps his head once and sticks his tongue out. “I just forgot that I stole these.”

  


_How could you have forgotten?!_

  


“Anyway!” Kokichi grabs all the missing items and approaches the exit. “I’ve had my fun for the day, so I’m gonna be a good Supreme Leader and return all of these! Bye-bye, Shuuichi!”

  


With a slam of the door, the shorter male disappears. Completely flabbergasted, Shuuichi remains frozen in place until Himiko breaks the silence.

  


“Well, I found my hat in the end, so I guess this is fine,” she says, making her companion turn towards her. The hat that started their little mystery was hiding most of her face, but a smile was peeking out. “This was a pain, but thanks for helping me out, Shuuichi.”

  


Gold eyes crinkle with fondness. “No problem, Himiko.”

  


The pair eventually parts, and Shuuichi soon finds himself back in very same spot where the magician had found him.

  


The Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles was quiescent. He could see Kaito strolling around with Maki, most likely recounting his outrageous stories to her. To his side, Himiko, along with Angie and Tenko, were chatting amicably in one of the courtyard benches. If he focused, he could hear the soft melody from a piano punctuating the air, no doubt by Kaede’s hands.

  


Leisurely, Shuuichi makes himself comfortable on the grass, lying down with his arms supporting his head. The harmony of the academy released the tension in his body and blew away the worries that clouded his heart, but the Ultimate Detective couldn’t relax just yet. There was one more mystery to solve.

  


_“I dunno what you’re talking about, Shuuichi,” A cunning smirk forms on his lips, “since_ I _already returned what I stole.”_

  


Shuuichi mulls over Kokichi’s words. What did he mean by that? Did he steal something other than the objects left in the Shrine of Judgment? But what could he have— 

  


_“I think a crook took my hat!”_

  


_“And I lost a pair of clothing.”_

  


_“I...This may sound unusual, but was I always just ‘Kiyo’ to you?”_

  


_“Gonta knows this odd, but Gonta thinks that our group not full.”_

  


_“I just can’t say_ it _!”_

  


_“Shuuichi and Himiko can’t do anything about it, anyway.”_

  


_“Ah, it’s nothing. You wouldn’t get it right now anyway, so it’s not worth explaining.”_

  


The detective sits up, eyes wide. A hand covers his gaping mouth.

  


_Wait...Did he somehow steal—_

  


* * *

  


“AHAHAHAHAHA! Today was entertaining!” Kokichi cackles with zero restraint in his Ultimate lab, nearly falling off of his throne. By his feet, Rantarou shares his sentiments less crudely.

  


“That’s one way to put it, I suppose.”

  


“It _totally_ was!” The Supreme Leader rises and stands before his companion. “Like, did you even see Miu and Kiibo? The whore was practically tearing her lab apart looking for her wrench, screaming that she ‘couldn’t find that nut stick.’ Kiibo looked so lost.”

  


Rantarou nods, feeling sorry for all the victims of this logic-defying prank.

  


“I think Shuuichi should be figuring out my prank right about now. He’s smart enough, unlike most of the Ultimates here. I’m surprised Tsumugi got it, though. Hmm…” Kokichi shrugs. “Oh, well. Overall, it was a pretty successful April Fools prank. The greatest one I’ve ever pulled off so far! Nee-heehee!”

  


“It was quite brilliant,” Rantarou agrees, “so will you tell me how you did it?”

  


“Sorry, but a Supreme Leader doesn’t reveal their secrets so easily.” The liar smiles to himself, whispering, “Happy April Fools, my beloved Shuuichi.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I posted a fic. T-T
> 
> BUT NOT GIVING UP IS MY MAGIC. Y'all can expect more fics soon. 
> 
> Comment what you think Kokichi stole down below!  
> ~Panda
> 
> P.S. If you really wanna know what he stole, the answer's mentioned in the comment section [here](https://aminoapps.com/c/danganronpa/page/blog/missing-a-fanfic/wKPg_XqWFouBLvPJVm3xkDYqogjYeq0xkWV). The people in the Danganronpa Amino have keen eyes.


End file.
